Coco de Mer

[Marsbars]

Anybody growing this majestic palm? Who has tried the fruit? 

[Coconut]

I believe fairchild has them growing, they are very big bold tree & dioecious.
Expensive seeds if you can get them from the Seychelles.  Fruit take a long time to mature from pollination. We don't know what is the actual pollinators; bat, wind or insects.  Viable seeds cost a small fortune. You need to buy six viable seeds to insure a male & a female.  Most sold on market will never germinate.  Buy seeds that have actual sprout.  Empty shells are collectible for those into the erotica arts.  I was offered some thirty years ago, turn it down cause they will take a beating from Hurricane here in Florida.   

[starling1]

Even a lacquered/ polished husk can go for in excessive of a thousand dollars. I remember seeing one at a garage sale when I was in my teens, it was 15$. I put it down and didn't think anything of it until many years later. I bought a refrigerator instead 

[DurianLover]

Anybody growing this majestic palm? Who has tried the fruit? 

I "tried" the fruit by touching it on my tippy toes (couple pics attached). I know where the whole bunch of these grow. Why are you asking? Do you want me to get the seed for you?

[fruitlovers]

Who in their right mind would eat such a fruit valued at many hundreds of dollars? It's worth a lot more for growing than for eating! There are some growing in my neighbordhood. They are beautiful palms, but extremely slow to fruit.

[bradflorida]

A google image search for coco de mer seeds is quite entertaining.

[Doglips]

A google image search for coco de mer seeds is quite entertaining.

LOL, who says they block porn at work?

[siafu]

Who in their right mind would eat such a fruit valued at many hundreds of dollars? It's worth a lot more for growing than for eating! There are some growing in my neighbordhood. They are beautiful palms, but extremely slow to fruit.

Ask that to people that eat and drink food decorated with gold leaf...

[DurianLover]

Don't know how I'm going to come out of this sticky situation. My seed offer was to test and tease original poster somewhat and to see how he understands value of these seeds ( Sorry, I know, we are well past April 1th ). Thanks Oscar for blowing my cover .  As you all know now they are the biggest fruit seeds on the planet and very expensive. Anyone who pm'ed for seeds, my sincere apologies. 
I took pictures in a botanical park in Kandy, Sri Lanka. They have the whole avenue of these palms. These double coconuts have been growing in Kandy since time "immemorial" and actually are the source of many double coconut palms around the world. Obviously very different situation than dealing with a private tree owner. Below my own picture and some from the internet. Some trees seem to be very productive.

Having said all that, there is some hope actually. My best friend and partner in Sri Lanka is actually a good friend with chief director of this botanical garden.  I do think they get quite a bit of excess seeds.  I could probably broker a deal to legally export these seeds, but there would be lots of bureaucracy and big chunk of money involved.  I doubt anyone on this forum is prepared to do that.

https://www.flickr.com/search?sort=relevance&text=double%20coconut%2C%20kandy

[fruitlovers]

That's pretty neat about botanical garden in Kandy. Most botanical gardens consider themselves very lucky if they have 2 or 3 Coco de Mer. A whole avenue of them? Like how many would you estimate?

[DurianLover]

Oscar, my memory is foggy, I had to go online to recreate the scene. I stitched 3 online pictures together in a progressive order. Just in first picture alone there is 13 coco de mer. I have to take a wild guess, and say there is 40-50 palms. As you see most of them quite young. If I remember correctly there is only 5-6 fruiting trees. Attaching picture of very productive tree over there. I will try to score one fruit for eating and report on taste.

[fruitlovers]

Wow! Always wanted to go to Kandy. Now i have all the more reason. That is so cool! Thanks DurianLover for the photos.
PS is the rest of their botanical garden as great?

[FlyingFoxFruits]

wow!

they got those things numbered already!

what an amazing tree!!!!

[DurianLover]

PS is the rest of their botanical garden as great?

Ehhh...don't know what to say. In terms of tropical fruit trees not so much. Some artocarpus, maybe have half a dozen very tall and old durians. They are not as impressive because pruned to the max. Gardens are like 250 years old, so there is a bunch of very impressive old trees. World's biggest fig tree is there. Average rating on trip advisor 4.5 stars,  I guess its ok.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1194819-d523519-Reviews-or10-Royal_Botanical_Gardens-Peradeniya_Kandy_District_Central_Province.html#REVIEWS

[Mike T]

DL is the fig one of the banyans covering hectares? There are big figs here in all types of forms.






People love the giant figs here but more the rainforest tall ones rather than banyans.

[DurianLover]

Mike, here is a picture of the fig tree in question. Whether its world's largest I don't know. I think this title was given by the area it covers. It does not grow like banyan.

[fruitlovers]

PS is the rest of their botanical garden as great?

Ehhh...don't know what to say. In terms of tropical fruit trees not so much. Some artocarpus, maybe have half a dozen very tall and old durians. They are not as impressive because pruned to the max. Gardens are like 250 years old, so there is a bunch of very impressive old trees. World's biggest fig tree is there. Average rating on trip advisor 4.5 stars,  I guess its ok.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1194819-d523519-Reviews-or10-Royal_Botanical_Gardens-Peradeniya_Kandy_District_Central_Province.html#REVIEWS

Thanks for the info and link. Hope i get to see it some day!

[Mike T]

DL that is a great looking fig alright but it must be hard to catch the size on film. Google the cathedral fig or the curtain fig.

A few people around here have old dead coconuts of Coco de Mer that they proudly display. The botanic gardens in my town cannot compare to yours and is 150 years younger but still get loads of tourists.I think many light fingered plant and seed collectors have benefited from trips to botanic gardens. The Coco de Mer is one that could only be smuggled out in a king sized baby carriage.

[Marsbars]

I believe fairchild has them growing, they are very big bold tree & dioecious.
Expensive seeds if you can get them from the Seychelles.  Fruit take a long time to mature from pollination. We don't know what is the actual pollinators; bat, wind or insects.  Viable seeds cost a small fortune. You need to buy six viable seeds to insure a male & a female.  Most sold on market will never germinate.  Buy seeds that have actual sprout.  Empty shells are collectible for those into the erotica arts.  I was offered some thirty years ago, turn it down cause they will take a beating from Hurricane here in Florida.   

I've seen pictures of a coco de mer palm in a private garden in south Florida. Am I imaging things?

[ScottR]

DurianLover, thank's for posting all the great pic's really cool

[Central Floridave]

agreed, cool photos. thanks!

[siafu]

I believe fairchild has them growing, they are very big bold tree & dioecious.
Expensive seeds if you can get them from the Seychelles.  Fruit take a long time to mature from pollination. We don't know what is the actual pollinators; bat, wind or insects.  Viable seeds cost a small fortune. You need to buy six viable seeds to insure a male & a female.  Most sold on market will never germinate.  Buy seeds that have actual sprout.  Empty shells are collectible for those into the erotica arts.  I was offered some thirty years ago, turn it down cause they will take a beating from Hurricane here in Florida.   

I've seen pictures of a coco de mer palm in a private garden in south Florida. Am I imaging things?

No. If you check palmtalk.org forum you'll find recent accounts of people germinating coco-de-mer in Florida.